Pioneer Award reflections

 The pioneer award definitely was the most demanding tier to complete. However it was also the most rewarding tier to accomplish. VCC, VSSP, 60KM Hike. all these taught me many valuable lessons, most importantly i would like to talk about project Orion. The project was the most unique experience. Hence i would be focusing my reflections for this award on Orion x

Project Orion has been a very fruitful overall. If there is one camp that I would say that had an equal amount of learning and fun, this would be it. Having grown up in Singapore and an Urban environment, it was different to experience the kampong lifestyle with very little modern innovations and urbanisation. Our primary mode of transport around the kampong was on bicycles! We had to pedal hard every slope we climbed and endure the fatigue of the legs. This project also brought us back to the early days before any form of internet or electronic devices. 

Initially We couldn’t use our phones in areas without wifi of internet services. This really was an issue for some as they were very dependent on their smartphones for entertainment purposes. The initial days were hard as we couldn’t help but look at our phones, however as we took part in the activities and games, we realised that there is more to life than just games and virtual reality or social media. The simple lifestyles that the villagers at the kampong led made me feel that you can find happiness anywhere, even in a simplistic lifestyle.

I definitely took away a lot of skills from this project, a few being skills on turtle conservation, the steps to patrol a beach and sight turtles or even excavate the turtle nests. These skills though not very useful in Singapore, helps me to better understand how the rangers in Malaysia help to conserve the turtles

Apart from skills used for turtle conservation, I also learned new cultural skills such as kite making, banana chips making and keropok leaker making. These skills can be applied more in Singapore as the kite making can be an activity that I can now conduct in my unit with my juniors, as it involves a lot of knots and lashings. The cultural experience I gained from the village also played an important role in my character development. One such example will be what I observed at the Raya festival, where everyone no matter who they were, as long as they were a local in the village, they were invited to the feast at Kak Ta’s house. This culture is truly amazing and remarkable. 

Learning more about myself as a person was something I look back at and feel proud to see how much I have grown as a person. Initially I felt that I was going to be awkward with the team members as I am a very extroverted person, while many of them were introverted. This really scared me as I was hoping that everything went smoothly between all of us and there will not be any  fights. Thankfully I was able to communicate well with my group mates and even win their trust. Till today we still meet for gatherings and are very good friends.

Secondly I matured through this trip. I learnt how to accommodate to the needs of others. When we went on this trip there were many other participants. Ranging from the young to the old! It was important that I adjust to the needs of others and not always put me infant of others. Though it was hard at first through the guidance of Mentor Si Jie I understood that it is important to always be aware of my surroundings and look out for the need of others. For example when a group member was interested to go for beach patrolling on a specific day, I would let them have the slot instead of me only wanting to go on that days night beach patrol. 

In a nutshell I spent my June holidays wisely this year by choosing to attend this project Orion trip. I was initially skeptical about this long project as I feared that I will not be able to cope with my studies and that being in a junior college I might possibly retain. However I managed my time well and was able to promote in JC 1 and also have time to pursue my scouts interests.

I first learned about Project Orion When my seniors had attended the trip. I was moved by the stories they shared and was also inspired to impact the environment.I was really intrigued because the objectives of this project aligned closely with my beliefs. Noticing my interest, my friend informed me about an upcoming Scout of the World Discovery Workshop and urged me to attend. Through the completion of the Discovery Workshop, I learnt about the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that aim to tackle poverty, inequality, climate, environmental degradation, prosperity, and peace and justice. Learning about how to tackle various world problems made me think about what scouts, and myself as a scout, can do to play our part in solving them. I made it a point to share these experiences

As a scout I felt that simply being in the movement was not good enough to help the environment, hence I decided to take action. Through the Discovery Workshop, I got to gain a more in-depth understanding of Project Orion. Si jie (Dreamcatcher) shared detailed information, such as its aims and goals, of the project and also included his own personal thoughts. I learnt that Project Orion is a yearly ongoing project and its main objective is to create awareness and conservation of marine turtles. In addition, there are also a series of construction projects that will promote and improve the development of the community living there. By enhancing the condition and facilities of the living community there, it will not only be beneficial for the residents in bettering their lives but may also bring about a positive impact on the turtles. This project in one word is simply “Perfect”. Perfect in helping the community, perfect in helping the turtles and perfect in help one grow. I hope that our efforts will be understood and the community can continue protecting the turtles even after we depart from the place.